Lövdén had planned to buy the apartment which along with the other apartments in the building complex were being sold well below market values as part of a redevelopment of the property. As Minister of Housing he was active in stopping the Conservative-led local council of Stockholm from selling off public housing to the tenants and consequently he was accused of applying double standards in behaviour.

Löwdén lost his contract because he never has lived in the apartment – he is the prefect of Halland and has an official recidence in that capacity. When the story first broke in the media, Prime Minister Göran Persson refused to criticise Lövdén’s actions with the argument: